Nannyberry

Viburnum lentago

Dark berries that taste like prunes once frost-softened.

Type: shrub · native and wild plants
Hardiness: zones 2 to 8
Light: full sun to part shade
Size: about 15 ft tall, 10 ft wide
Harvest: September to October
From: Northern North America
Drought-hardy once established
Here: Hardy in the Lake Erie shore climate (zone 6b to 7a), so it can live outdoors in the ground.

Good for: food, pollinators, wildlife, butterfly and moth caterpillars.

Native to: Northeast, Midwest & Great Lakes, Great Plains & Texas, Eastern Canada, Western Canada. Hardy in zones 2 to 8.

The story

Nannyberry's sweet, raisin-like fruit was eaten fresh and dried by Anishinaabe, Dakota and Haudenosaunee people and mixed into pemmican; it is one of the few native viburnums that is sweet rather than sour. The name may come from nanny goats browsing it.

Planting

Full sun or part shade, moist to dry soil; adaptable and hardy. Plant in spring; one shrub fruits alone. It grows to 15 feet.

Growing

Water the first summers, then leave it. Prune only to shape. It suckers lightly.

Harvest and use

Fruit ripens blue-black in autumn and sweetens after frost, tasting of dates and prunes; eat fresh, pit, or cook into butter.

What to watch for

Viburnum leaf beetle, and powdery mildew in humid late summers.

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More native and wild plants

General guidance, not professional advice. Conditions vary by yard and year; for local specifics ask your county extension office. Never eat a wild plant you cannot identify with certainty. Traditional uses are shared as history, not medical advice. © 2026 Sean Priest · Irie Orchard. Terms & credits · Privacy · Home